This isn’t what you might think it is. At least not in the way you might expect. Rather this is how I lost the love for a gym I once loved.

When the shiny new LA Fitness opened in the town over, back in I want to say 2008, I was excited. The LA Fitness gyms are usually nice looking, and well laid out. This one was spot on. It has all the machines and weights one could want. A pool and sauna. Lots of classes. Even a trainer I can stand.

But you know what killed my love of it? The Kids Room.

Those first years it was great. I enjoyed working out. Then the kids were born. And I noticed something. The daycare room, while bright and cheery, was about the filthiest place you could take kids. Seriously. They pick up head colds, Norovirus (omg…..so gross), pink eye and god knows what else. All it takes is ONE visit and boom, they are sick. And then they give it to me. Or Kirk. I have now been sick for nearly 2 weeks! I HATE summer infections. You know…when it is hot and you are sweating a fever, with a runny nose.

But the worst reason? The lack of safety in the daycare room.

When Walker was a baby, it was OK. But then when I started taking Alistaire, things changed. The first sign was when I picked him up after working out once, and he was all flushed/pink. Little did I know that this was his first allergic reaction. Only later, after he had his first trip to the ER for peanuts did I realize how lucky we were that day! After Alistaire was tested for all his allergies, I became that hovering helicopter Mother. Allergy-Moms freak out so much. We cannot help it. Most people just do not get it. He is everything to me.

The daycare is supposed to be food free. It isn’t. It has a high turnover of staff. A few understand it, as they have friends/family with allergies. But the worst are the employees that think I am a nutter. You can see it in their eyes. The inward rolling of the eyes. The fear I feel every time I let them go in that room.

But the final straw for me? A few weeks back I came to get the boys after working out. The lady working says “Oh he has an allergy to peanuts, right?”. And then goes on to tell me that there had been a kid eating PB crackers NEXT to Alistaire. She asked me “how allergic is he”. And how they had watched him, after moving the other kid away.

But no one came and got me. They waited. WTF. I was livid, it took everything in me to not become demon mom and rip heads off.

I knew on that day I would never trust them to do the right thing. I do get that to those without allergies, my reaction was extreme. But it isn’t to allergy parents. Alistaire cannot tell you that he doesn’t feel good! An exposure can go from nothing to “where is the Epi-Pen” in minutes.

Why was a peanut item EVEN allowed in there? Why was the kid allowed to be eating in there, or at minimum, why was he eating in the main play area? When I asked why they didn’t come get me, the lady looked at me like I was “one of those moms”. It isn’t just eating the item, it is then transferred to everything the child touches after! And remember how I said that room never seems to get cleaned? Toys, contaminated, by everything a nut/peanut eating kid touches. It doesn’t go away. Unless you wipe it down or clean it.

It is our duty to remove our allergy child from harm, and if I have to, we pack up and leave. A few months back we were at a playground, I turn around and a kid has a sandwich hanging out of his mouth. I look at his older sibling and asked “is that peanut butter?”. The kid was right next to Alistaire. Older sister said yes, it is. I asked her, can you please ask your brother to back away. She did. And then I rounded up the boys and we left. (Let’s not dwell on why a kid needs a PB sandwich at 10 am, on a playground….)

But for me…I have lost the last bit of confidence in taking them with me to the gym. I don’t enjoy working out there anymore. All I do is worry that something will happen. And I hate that.I don’t expect change from LA Fitness, but I can tell you that I have decided to cancel my membership this month. Not sure what I will do after. But I do not like the fear I feel. It isn’t healthy for me.

Like this:

This post is sponsored by Poise, views, thoughts and opinions are mine. For some this may be a highly embarrassing topic but I feel why be ashamed of it! Instead, lets look for a solution – which means you need to hear about SAM!

As a Mom to 3 children, I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I have issues with LBL.

LBL what, you say? It isn’t fun or sexy to talk about light bladder leakage, but if you have had kids (like me), the downside is you might have LBL. One in three women experience Light Bladder Leakage (LBL), which can be triggered by everyday occurrences like coughing, sneezing, laughing or exercise. Many women rely on feminine care products or nothing at all to manage their little leaks because they don’t know there are solutions designed specifically for LBL or they don’t think incontinence products are for them. As the leader in the light incontinence category, Poise brand offers a variety of pads and liners to make it easy to find protection for every woman’s needs.

These thin and surprisingly absorbent liners feature SAM (Super Absorbent Material) to provide discreet Light Bladder Leakage (LBL) protection that helps keep you dry and comfortable all day long so you can manage life’s little leaks with confidence. Poise Microliners are the thinnest liners in the light incontinence category and are designed to absorb wetness, neutralize odor and stay three times drier than period liners.

One of the hardest things for me to overcome in the past 4 years, after having my last two children, has been feeling confident in the gym. I do NOT run, nor do I do any exercise that involves me jumping high or worse, something like jumping jacks. Before I met Poise Microliners, I suffered through it. To the point I have gotten into arguments with my trainer, where I was nearly crying! I am sorry, but you can berate me for not running across a basketball court all you want. It is right up there with praying you won’t spend a week sneezing with a cold!

After? Well…I can tell you it actually makes me want to try exercises I had quit or deemed I couldn’t do. T-h-i-n, portable, and no one will know your secret! OK, running isn’t going to happen (because, sorry, I hate running…hah!) but now I don’t feel embarrassed anymore.

Last winter I found Crayola Freezer Pops on super-clearance, so I bought a package. We had broken more than a few popsicle molds last summer, mostly due to me yanking on them too hard. Oops. Walker found my copy of 200 Best Ice Pop Recipes and was flipping through it, looking for a “red” one. I asked if he wanted Strawberry, and yes he did. So we walked to town and picked up fresh berries and a lemon.

Two happy boys!

The molds release easily with a run under hot water – and yep, look just like crayons. Even if Alistaire kept grabbing his by the pop. Lol….poor kid was sticky and red by the end

Strawberry Ice Pops

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh strawberries

1 lemon, juiced and strained, about 3 Tablespoons

½ cup water

¼ cup raw honey or agave

3 Tbsp granulated sugar

Directions:

Add the ingredients to a blender, process on medium until mostly smooth. Pour into ice pop molds. If using one with caps, insert, otherwise freeze for an hour or so before putting in popsicle sticks. Freeze for a total of 4 hours, or longer, before serving. To remove from molds, run quickly under hot tap water.

How many you get depends on mold size, recipe makes about 3 cups total.

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Huggies. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

If you have kids, there is something you nearly always have with you: baby wipes. Heck, even if you don’t have kids you should have them along! I always have a package of wipes in the van, in the truck, travel packs in my purse, my hiking backpack and so on. But what do all of them have in common, besides cleaning up messes so easily? Those packages are soooo unattractive! Especially as your kids get older, or if you are like me and you don’t carry a diaper bag….

So how about a more stylish baby wipe? One that doesn’t say baby all over it. And that is ready to grab and take with you? Or to hang in the van, off the headrest?

In 3 prints, there is plenty to choose from (I got the stripes for the boys, but I want the flower one for the van!).

With 2 sticky-fingered little boys, every time we get back to the van, it is hand-wiping time. Walker always walks to the back to get the package, but now we can hang them from the van’s headrest, so he can get them out for him and Alistaire.

(Please ignore the loaded n’ messy van!)

Or like Friday, when Alistaire squeezed out half a juice box on his toddler snack tray in the BOB Stroller while we were out hiking. Yeesh! Baby wipes to the rescue, no sticky residue left behind.

And where was the wipes? Not buried anymore! Rather, they were tucked into the storage pocket, proudly displayed and locked into place with the strap. Simple. Pretty. Functional!

Alistaire (and Walker as well) are part of the “pouch generation”, both having grown up on squeeze pouches from before they could hold onto them. I love them for car rides and outdoor activities: no spoons, no mess! I have seen other yogurt pouches, but all have been shelf-stable, sold in the baby food aisle, and just are not yogurt, but rather fruit/berries with a yogurt base. Stonyfield is the first refrigerated organic yogurt pouch available. If you already purchase Stonyfield yogurt for your young ones, this is even better! No artificial colors, flavors or high fructose corn syrup. I appreciate knowing that when we travel I can find a quick-serve snack for the boys, especially Alistaire, that I know is safe for him – and is organic as well.

Alistaire couldn’t get enough of the pouches! He was in love with them from first sip, be it with Baby, Toddler or Kid varieties.

The YoBaby comes in 4 flavors (Blueberry, Mango, Vanilla and Sweet Potato), YoToddler in 2 flavors (Strawberry Beet Raspberry and Pear Spinach Mango) and YoKids in 3 flavors (Strawberry, Blueberry and Strawberry Banana). I found the pouches in the yogurt section of our local grocery stores (different stores had different flavors!). Our Safeway mingles organic items with regular, Fred Meyer’s carries them in the “natural” food section.

As for the fun flavors? He liked the sweet potato YoBaby the best, The YoToddler Strawberry Beet Raspberry he kept sucking on to make sure it was empty , although he wasn’t a fan of the Pear Spinach Mango. The YoKids I tried and really liked the Strawberry – it was vibrant tasting.

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Pull-Ups. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

I have enjoyed being part of the Pull-Ups® First Flush Ambassador Program these past months, because it has helped me to understand my child a lot better.

I learned some painful (to me) lessons, while attempting to potty-train my middle child. And I say attempt, because some of what I tried failed pretty miserably. He regressed a bit, becoming whiny and clingy, while I kept pushing. This wasn’t my normally pretty happy child. It took some real thinking to realize I was pushing too hard. Every child is different. He wanted nothing to do with a potty but will use the real toilet. Where as the youngest is highly fascinated with the toddler potty. Although I think he’d have loved this:

How cute is that? The First Years has a line of awesome 3 in 1 potties that convert for bigger kids – and make sounds. Training potty, big kid seat and a step stool. In a Cars design! I have a feeling that Alistaire will be getting one like this, it is very user-friendly. (Bonus? If you buy a specialty potty system from First Years, you receive a free sample of Pull-Ups Training Pants to get you started!) Where I found my middle child pulling back, and digging in, the youngest is excited to get started. My advice? If you get resistance, pull back and wait a week or two, then start again. Yes, being consistent is important, but pressing too hard (as I did), can do more damage. Make it fun for them. Set goals for things they need to be potty trained for. For Walker it has been that once he is trained fully, he can hang out in the ball pit at IKEA, at the play area at our local grocery store, he can go backpacking with me. Big Kid prizes really! I also get down to his level and we talk about all the things he can do that his baby brother cannot. Like how he doesn’t have to nap, because he is a big boy.

So as we work on it, I know we are far from being done, but I also know that child three will be a cinch, once I have mastered child two. And at least learned what not to do

Starting From Scratch: What You Should Know about Food and Cooking is a food manifesto that helps young readers relate to what they eat, inspiring both budding chefs and budding food lovers in the process. Beginning with an exploration of taste and how it works, author and food activist Sarah Elton explains how ingredients have been on the move for centuries, resulting in the unique fusion of flavors we love today. She breaks down the science of food and cooking into bite-sized and easily digestible pieces of information that cover the chemistry of heat versus cold, fat versus acid, and salt versus sweet. Both practical and philosophical in its approach, Starting from Scratch demystifies food and cooking by boiling it down to the basics. Young chefs learn to make sense of recipes, measure and substitute ingredients, and stock a pantry, and discover that food is more than just a prepackaged meal. Using simple and universal examples, Starting from Scratch inspires children to eat better, try new flavors, and understand what’s on their plate. Even reluctant chefs will gain an improved sense of where food comes from and be able to join in on a conversation that continues from snack time to dinnertime.

After reading through the book, and sharing it with Walker (who has become my helper in the kitchen), we decided to try the Quick and Simple Pasta Sauce recipe, and adapt it to our taste. Fun, easy and yes, it tasted great! Even at 3 or 4 years old, children can be in the kitchen learning from us.

Quick and Simple Pasta Sauce (As adapted from page 90)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

1 28-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes (used unsalted with basil)

1 tsp Italian seasoning blend

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp capers, rinsed and drained

Pinch sugar, to taste

Fine sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat a large saucepan over medium, add oil, onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes (with any liquid) to the pan. Add Italian seasoning, vinegar, capers and pinch of salt. Break up tomatoes with a potato masher. Cook over medium-low, on a low simmer, for 20 or so minutes, stirring often. Season to taste with sugar (to cut the bite of the acid in tomatoes), salt and pepper, to taste.

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Pull-Ups. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

Walker was very excited to receive a “review package” that was all his. He happily brought the box into the house and showed it to his little brother. Especially being it was the Cars designs!

Last month I posted about being a Pull-Ups® First Flush Ambassador and my efforts to potty train my middle and youngest children, and that yes, it had been very frustrating before having this chance.

Well…maybe a month can bring a turning point. Instead of pushing the middle child, and him digging in his feet, I put my energy into treating him as a “big kid”. He might not be potty trained yet, but he grew up so much in this past month. We got the two boys an IKEA bed setup, and hacked into bunk beds. Walker happily took to it, settling into his penthouse suite above. The “baby”, who turned 2 in February, has left his crib as well, and sleeps below. Sometimes Walker wakes up and goes down his ladder, and crawls into his little brothers bed and they snuggle. It really makes me so happy to see them like that.

The biggest thing I noticed was a few days into the month he told me he did not want help in dressing anymore (although he reserved the right if he needed help!). Suddenly he was picking out his outfits, putting on socks and shoes, but most of all? He was changing his Pull-Ups as if they were underwear. With the Pull-Ups he knows which side is which, and doesn’t have to ask for help with it.

No fighting or crying. And he was getting dressed while standing up, the changing pad is for babies according to him. So, maybe I did find out what might work for him!

I took the boys to the Lego Store this week as a treat, for both being such big boys. They had so much fun, and Walker couldn’t believe there was a whole store of Legos Rewards can be fun, but also can be the unexpected. Big boys get treated like big boys!

Pull-Ups has a mobile app as well that looks fantastic, unfortunately it is for iphone and Android formats, and I run on a Windows phone. If anyone gets a chance to play on it, please let me what you think of it! The “Big Kid Checklist” for bedtime and potty timers would be so handy to have in my pocket.

Learn more about Big Kids Academy and visit Twitter and Facebook for even more help. I will see you in a month, and hopefully by then my “plan” will have worked – and have a happy potty trained child (or two – the little one is all excited to try it!)

Our two youngest boys love being read to. Like really love it. If you let them, they will keep bringing book after book. Kirk settles them into bed almost every night by reading 1 or 2 books. It makes me smile, because they enjoy it so much. So when a new book came recently, and it had a little treasure chest (oops, Tacky Box!), Walker was after me to read it to him. We curled up on our bed and had story time. And I noticed something as I read. The boys were quietly laying there with me. No goofing off, falling off the bed or wrestling. They really loved this book. What was it?

Max’s Magnificent Choice - A book to spread the message of a Campaign for Kindness. Can one person help others to be more kind? Can one person create a ripple effect? That by treating others as you would like to be treated, you will show others they too can. I’d like to think they can! They do well with manners, such as opening doors for strangers (and those known), saying please and thank you but as for words, I think we can all do better.

The tale of a handsome and smart monkey (with a great choice in head gear!), who unfortunately has a habit of insulting other animals in the jungle. This leaves him quite sad as he doesn’t understand that the words he uses are insulting and hurtful, and that is why no one wants to play with him. And yes, there is a story for girls as well! Margo’s Magnificent Choice. Max is very sad, as he doesn’t get why the other animals reject him.

He meets a wise owl who tells him why he is being shunned, and how he can make things better. The owl explains that bad or hurtful words are “Tacky”. Max is given a box to store these bad things, so that he won’t think of them again. The book comes with a very own Tacky Box for the child. To have, to decorate, and to use. If a bad word is used, or they hear a word that is mean/hurtful, they can write it on paper, and store it inside. What a wonderful idea.

And then Kirk pipes up and says “Maybe you need a jumbo Tacky Box for when you drive.” Harharhar. Although, OK, he is right. Having little ones who repeat everything has led me to see how bad my own mouth can be!

The Tacky Box? Slowly, Walker and I are writing words on the pad of Tacky paper (that is included) and tucking them away. This weekend we will paint the box together. Walker has picked out a deep blue, metallic gold and silver paints from my craft supplies. And snuggle up and read about Max again! And talk about why mean words can hurt so much, and why we should try to use them less.

The little box is neat. Unfinished wood, with a little closure that even little fingers can open easily, it holds the pad of paper and a pencil, with lots of space for thoughts.

Walker says “Abra Cadamera” when he opens it, and puts a pice of paper in it. Then closes it, latches it down and says “Bye-bye paper, see you later!” (Which I find pretty funny, the abra-cadamera….I’d love to know how he picked that one up! So much cuter than what he should be saying!)

I will continue to think more actively about how what I say affects my children, my husband and how that ripples out to them, and then out of our house. And also help them make better choices in what they say.

When my middle son, Walker, was born in 2010 I never questioned what brand of diapers I would use. It would be Huggies, and nothing else. Kirk was scratching his head over that I am sure, but even with 12 years between Walker and Ford, I knew what I liked. With my oldest son, Ford, I had tried the store brands and other name brands, in the quest of “saving” money, only to learn my lesson. Huggies were often as economical, and many times less money. And I didn’t waste 3 to 4 outfits a day to the dirty laundry basket, all because of ill-fitting diapers that leaked. When Alistaire, our youngest, was born I took a pack of Huggies with me to the hospital, knowing the hospital only provided a sad excuse for diapers (scented…yuck, which gave him a skin rash). By then Kirk knew to load up the cart with red and white boxes of Snug & Dry. Good man!

“I can keep drinking all the juice I want if I get the good diapers!”

What were the features that caused total brand loyalty for me?

No perfume. Seriously, who puts scents in diapers? The same people who scent toilet paper? Not only can I not use scented products, but I don’t want this on my children’s sensitive skin.

Side tabs that don’t rip off. I cannot tell you how many times I have gone to put a store brand diaper and right as I go to bring the side tab over the front, the whole tab rips off. Yeah, because I don’t enjoy throwing away a NEW diaper that was a “saving” at 17 cents a diaper. No, I just wasted 17 cents! One batch of store brand diapers I had 10 of them do this in ONE package. I was steaming over it.

No plastic feeling outer cover. They leave the baby all sweaty. The even worse combination? Plastic cover and scented. Oy. That should be banned!

Diapers oddly cut. For me, somehow nearly no other brand is cut right. When they are newborns you don’t want thigh gap!

Preemie and Newborn diapers that are like velvet on their skin. When my oldest was born a month early, this was so amazing.

Not leaking, even on long car rides and sitting in backpack carriers while hiking. Like a happy Alistaire below!

I learned early on that when hiking with wee ones, you put them in the best. Otherwise, having a soggy diaper on a baby, especially when front carrying, is something you do NOT want to experience.

In addition to the same trusted Leak Lock® protection parents have come to love, only Huggies® Snug & Dry Diapers have SureFit*Design, to provide long-lasting fit for up to 12 hours of leakage protection.

Suggested retail price of $9.99 for a Jumbo Pack and $19.99 for a Big Pack (diaper count varies based on diaper size). Available nationwide at retail outlets where diapers are sold.

And want a fun time-waster, that your kids will love to play with you? That can also help others?

Visit the Huggies Challenge website to take the Huggies® Challenge – complete challenges and win prizes. For every new challenge completed (4 are added each month!), Huggies Every Little Bottom will donate diapers to a baby in need. Which to me, is an amazing thing! I realize only too well how hard it is when you can’t buy enough diapers for your little one. I was a single mom to my oldest son, so it hits a spot in me hard. It is a horrible choice too many parents are forced to make.

Have fun, help others! Please visit, every baby deserves a dry bottom, and if you have a few minutes free time you can help out.

Like The Blueberry Breakfast game, that challenges you to find differences in the scene:

And yes, look who got her badge. I had fun, learned about products and helped out a child in need And I kept playing games with Walker, he was having lots of fun.

When you take the Huggies Challenge, you can win Huggies Rewards Points, which can be used towards free diapers and free samples. Also, two lucky Testers will win Huggies Diapers & Wipes for an entire year! Drawings for these prizes will take place on May 12th and August 25th.

Until then, let your babes have fun goofing off – and not worrying. This diaper can handle it!

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Huggies, but my love for Snug & Dry is all my own.